Hostility toward the conceptual is unique to rock journalism.
It seems perfectly normal to pick up a 600 page book, spend hours and hours reading it over the course of a month, and have many in-depth conversations about it. University faculty even gain respect for this kind of behavior.

However, with music, the expectation is that it must provide instant gratification. Any further explorations into the music beyond the first listen is scoffed at and ridiculed.

The audio is inferior to the verbal. We are all encouraged to go back to our corporate jobs and set aside such insubstantial matters as music.

I agree with you both, Drew and Cecelia. We who pay attention to Tori Amos' artistry, hardly ever resort to music criticism to validate our opinions of her work. We may just as well. There is a rather unsurmountable barrier between those who are paid to offer an opinion, and those who freely labour on the appreciation of a work of art. The truth is, there is little to be said of Amos' ability to create an engaging collection of songs/creatures that are never conventional or exactly what anyone - not even her most fervent fans - expected to listen to.
I am glad to hear Tori working again in the realm of electronic arrangements, the way she did for From The Choirgirl Hotel. Somehow, she fits her meaning in the production context inspired by masters like the legendary trip-hop band Portishead ("Give" being a prime example).
It is funny how critics focus on Tori's lyrical work and "conceptual intent", when really that is only a part of it. It's rather obtuse to critique a songwriter solely on the basis of what their words suggest, as opposed to gathering music and words together as an inseparable unit.
Even if you are casually interested in Tori's work, I, as someone who has paid attention to her from the beginning, beseech you to listen to this album more than once. Tori's spell appears after quite a few listens. You will see how her songs/entities begin to resound deeper and deeper within you, inviting - never forcing - you to pour meaning into them and enjoy the reverberation that will surely come when you listen to the songs again.
If we strp it down to the bare essentials, Tori's songs as I understand them, offer us all a sketch that we can elaborate on to create our own world of interpretation and innuendo. Quite refreshing, come to think of it, compared to those who want to feed us sanctimonious opuses and ready-made universes where there is no room for our input.
Thank you for reading.

Brilliant. Undoubtedly her best since To Venus & Back if not Little Earthquakes. Amazingly each song gets even better with each listen. I've listened to it from start to finish every day since release & have watched the videos 4 times as well.

As mentioned, and as with all Tori's albums, it takes a few listens to get into them. I have often found that songs I was adversed to in the beginning have suddenly grown on me without me being aware. It is very difficult to have opinions about Tori's work. I have often swung between thinking an album is weak and then a masterpiece and back again. Such an example is American Doll Posse. When I realise its brilliance, it makes me realise I was deluded when I thought it was average. I could just as well be doing the same for this new one. A lot of people have said it is 4 tracks too long. I agree, but I have found to my surprise that the tracks they'd exclude are my favourites, such as Strong Black Vine, Not Dying Today, Police Me and That Guy. Even more baffling is that the track "Maybe California" which most list as the biggest standout, is a song I often have to skip, because its just too painful to listen to (not in an emotional way, its just horrible). Other tracks which I wouldn't miss would be Fire to Your Plain, Ophelia and Lady in Blue.
I cannot comment on the lyrics, as interpreting poetry/songs is not my strong point, but from a musical point of view, her composition, vocal layering and subtle beauty are there as they've always been.